The Reality of Mid-Life As a Woman

We all have those moments in life when we are hit with the reality of something, in fact, most of us have several of those moments in our lives that can be very profound, maybe even life-changing. For me, they have been coming like rapid fire. Several of my dear friends have been very ill or passed away and it's made me see my own mortality coming sooner than I'd like to admit.

I've mentioned menopause here several times in the recent past and indeed it has been a major life event. Outside of the things you hear about like hot flashes, weight gain, and moodiness, there are a number of things that nobody tells you or really talks about. Maybe because the connection is not made or the women experiencing it are too embarrassed or frightened to tell anyone. Let me share a few of the "little known" menopause symptoms, some I've *personally experienced and learned that a number of women in my secret group on FB have experienced as well.

• *High blood pressure
• *Panic attacks
• *Anxiety
• Vertigo
• *Debilitating joint pain
• Hair loss (all body hair)
• Vaginal atrophy
• Sexual aversion (more than lack of interest)
• All kinds of skin rashes
• *Depression
• Emotionally numb
• Insomnia
• Migraines
• *Periods (erratic) that stop, start, go for 20 days, stop for 2 days, go for 9 days, etc.
• *Body odor (horrible body odor)
• *Bad breath
• *Rage/Grief
• The sense of pending doom
• *The sense of imminent death - this one for me came in my dreams almost every night for more than a year.
• Age Spots
• Lethargy
• Nausea
• Dental pain/teeth breaking

Most women start menopause (peri-menopause) in their late 40s, early 50s, menopause is typically in her 50s and runs on average for 10-15 years. Sit with that for a minute, 10-15 years!!! It started for me at early 48 and at almost 5 years in, it's not as bad as it was, the hormones have alleviated the hot flashes, anxiety/panic attacks, rage/grief, and I am taking a low dose of blood pressure medication. I don't love that, but I'm not sure what to do with that for now. The body odor, bad breath, and my periods are just a matter of diligent management. I've not had dreams of imminent death since we moved into this new house in January of 2016 but once or twice, so that's been an improvement. 

With all of that said, why isn't more of this information mainstream? This is not just my experience, this is thousands of women around the world! Our medical community is not serving women once we are outside of our childbearing years, and it is simply not acceptable. We need to speak up and step up to be heard. We also need to speak up and step up for other women. I am doing that here, I want women who have not reached this age yet to know when (and if) their time comes, what is happening, and to know, not only is it normal, it will be okay. Estrogen, progestogen, and testosterone are decreasing and our bodies are adjusting. It will be different for each of us so just know, as the time comes, tune in and expect the unexpected, ask questions, don't be afraid to talk to the women in your life, and insist your doctor test your blood for these hormone levels.